Reuters Soccer Blog

Scolari is actually the calm in the Chelsea storm

The immediate future of Chelsea, and their Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is about as clear as the fog that almost led to the postponement of their FA Cup replay at Southend United on Wednesday.

Although many insiders believe there is little real prospect of the World Cup winning coach leaving Stamford Bridge despite fans’ disgruntlement, there is plenty that needs to be put right if Chelsea are to end the season basking in the sunlight.

The confusion in west London though, is not just centred on what tactics 60-year-old Scolari should employ and who might actually be playing for or leaving the team.

Off the field there are continuing, unsettling rumours about whether Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the man who has bankrolled the club’s most successful period since their formation in 1905, is still in love with the boys in blue. (more…)

Time for Scolari to unleash Drogba and Anelka together?

Chelsea are struggling to score goals but manager Luiz Felipe Scolari says he can’t accommodate both Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba in the same team.

Scolari’s outstanding record as a coach of club and national teams means that us little people should think twice, or more, before questioning his tactics.

But when the team is booed off the pitch, as they were after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham, it is surely fair to ask if it’s time for a change of approach.

Drogba has hardly played this season due to injury and suspension and the fans were desperate to have him back leading the line.

In last week’s Champions League game against Cluj he came on midway through the second half with the teams level at 1-1 and within six minutes had scored the well-taken winner that guaranteed the club’s progress into the knockout stage.

On Sunday he was introduced at halftime and…six minutes later provided the neat flick to Frank Lampard that opened the way for Anelka’s equaliser.

Asked afterwards if he would consider starting with the “dangerous” pairing up front, Scolari said it was dangerous at both ends, saying the change of balance leaves his midfield too exposed.

Scowling Scolari needs a rethink

Defeat to Arsenal means Luiz Felipe Scolari is facing his first big test as Chelsea manager and there are plenty of people waiting to see how the volatile Brazilian handles it.

Until a few weeks ago everything was sweetness and light at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea set the pace in the Premier League title race. They were scoring goals for fun and Scolari was seen as a breath of fresh air with his jovial manner.

The cracks are now starting to appear, however, as results turn sour. Last week he said he would have to go back to Brazil if Chelsea failed to make the last 16 of the Champions League.

The 1-1 draw with Bordeaux, in which they were dreadful, means they still have work to do on that front when CFR Cluj come to London next week.

Most worryingly for Scolari, what was once a fortress at Stamford Bridge under previous managers Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant is suddenly looking a little flimsy. (more…)

Chelsea inadvertently trigger Queiroz departure

Chelsea’s gain in recruiting Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new manager has spelt pain for Manchester United — at least in the short term.

Carlos Queiroz’s departure from United to take over from Scolari as Portugal coach means that Chelsea have inadvertently inflicted an early blow on their Old Trafford rivals ahead of the new season.

Besides acquiring a World Cup-winning coach in Scolari, they also set in motion a chain of events which has cost Sir Alex Ferguson his trusted right-hand man.

Queiroz played a vital role as Ferguson’s number two, overseeing much of the squad’s work on the training ground and playing an influential role in the team’s tactical development from a traditional 4-4-2 formation to a more flexible approach.

Ferguson once said to reporters that Queiroz had helped to “widen our horizons” and the fact the Scot welcomed him back with open arms in 2004, 12 months after his defection to Real Madrid, underlines how much the manager valued him.  

The 55-year-old’s contacts book also helped United acquire young Portuguese-speaking talents like Nani, Anderson and Manucho, and his departure will do little to help the club’s prospects of holding on to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Queiroz is known to be close to Ronaldo and helped to persuade him to stay in Manchester after the fall-out from England’s 2006 World Cup defeat by Portugal. Indeed, the winger has described Queiroz as a father figure.

Vlog on the pitch – Reactions to Scolari’s arrival

Luiz Felipe Scolari held his first news conference as Chelsea manager on Tuesday.

Regular vlogonthepitch pundit Pedro Redig attended the event and spoke to journalists from Brazil (Fernando Duarte, O Globo) and Portugal (Alexandre Albuquerque, RTP) where Scolari made a name for himself as an international manager.

Pedro also got some British reaction from Sky Sports News reporter Nick Collins.

Will Big Phil continue to wow the press pack or might he be exposed by a lack European club experience?

Let us know your views.

Scolari the showman could outdo Mourinho

However Chelsea’s fortunes unfold on the field during the coming season, the presence of new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge should guarantee no shortage of entertainment off it.

Scolari gave an impressive performance on Tuesday in his first news conference since taking the helm of the London club, speaking in excellent English and providing Chelsea’s fans with exactly the news they wanted to hear about Frank Lampard staying.

They also got a first taste of their new coach’s charisma. If Avram Grant cut a grey figure compared to his colourful, soundbite-friendly predecessor Jose Mourinho — aka ‘The Special One’ — nobody will be complaining about Scolari lacking personality.

Speaking with a twinkle in his eye, the Brazilian World Cup-winning coach said he was special only to his loved ones and a “so-so” coach.

For those who witnessed the wide range of facial expressions at his news conferences as Portugal manager, none of this would have come as a surprise. He may resemble the actor Gene Hackman but he is a showman in his own right, a great bear-like figure who needs little invitation to display his emotions.

When his players’ tempers were rising during the group-stage defeat by Switzerland at Euro 2008, he stood on the touchline like an angry schoolmaster, his index finger held to his mouth in a gesture telling them to stop their back chat to the referee.

Yet the big hug he gave injured Switzerland striker Alexander Frei on the same evening showed his avuncular side too.